The 10 Best Queen Songs of All Time

Few bands are more iconic than Queen. The British rockers – originally consisting of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon – formed in 1970, and released a string of 15 studio albums over the course of 25 years. Despite the tragic passing of eccentric lead singer Freddie Mercury in 1991, the band remains immensely popular to this very day. For this article, I’ve hand-picked the 10 best Queen songs of all time, based on cultural importance, legacy, and personal preference!

10. Under Pressure

I start this list with “Under Pressure”. For the song, Queen partnered up with none other than David Bowie. To this day, confusion exists around who wrote the iconic bass line. John Deacon stated David Bowie wrote the bass line, Roger Taylor stated John Deacon wrote the bass line, and Brian May declared Deacon wrote the bass line, forgot it, after which David Bowie recalled it to him. Maybe it was Vanilla Ice after all.

Read more: The Story Behind “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie

9. We Will Rock You / We Are the Champions

So, I’ve decided to sneak eleven songs into my Queen top 10. I apologize. Anyway, “We Will Rock You / We Are the Champions” surely ranks among the greatest single releases of all time. One is the catchiest follow-along anthem ever, whilst the other is the most popular victory anthem of all time. The songs are often paired together and played consecutively, hence the joint ranking.

8. Killer Queen

For number 8, I’ve picked “Killer Queen”. The single – released in 1974 – was Queen’s breakthrough hit, reaching the charts in 11 countries. The song peaked at number 2 in the UK and number 12 in the US. “This is a perfect pop record and one of Freddie’s greatest songs,” Brian May said to Q magazine. “It’s beautifully constructed and it’s also got one of the solos I’m most proud of.”

7. Love of My Life (Live)

The album version of “Love of My Life” is a beautiful piano ballad by Freddie Mercury, but the live version of the song is my absolute favorite. For live performances, Brian May transformed the piano ballad into a 12-string guitar arrangement, whilst Freddie Mercury conducted the audience the sing the song together with him. The live versions in South America and Wembley ’86 stand out.

Read more: The Story Behind “Love of My Life” by Queen

6. Who Wants To Live Forever

Brian May wrote “Who Wants To Live Forever” for the Highlander, a movie about an immortal man named Connor MacLeod. The song was specifically written around a touching scene where the immortal MacLeod has to endure the aging process of his mortal wife Heather. “Who Wants To Live Forever” appears on the album A Kind of Magic, which is seen as the unofficial soundtrack of the movie.

5. Somebody To Love

For number 5, I’ve picked “Somebody To Love”. It is commonly believed Freddie Mercury considered this song his very best. The gospel-inspired song about finding love sounds like it is accompanied by a 100-voice choir, but is actually Mercury, May, and Taylor multitracking their voices. Aretha Franklin had a huge influence on the song, with Brian May citing Freddie ‘loved’ and ‘wanted to be’ Aretha Franklin.

4. Don’t Stop Me Now

Like the speed of light, Freddie Mercury travels his way through this incredibly catchy tune. The feel-good song has one main message: “Don’t stop me now, I’m having such a good time”. Surprisingly enough, the single didn’t perform too well commercially, barely making the top 10 in the UK and topping at number 86 in the US. But over the years, “Don’t Stop Me Now” grew out to be a fan favorite.

3. The Show Must Go On

In my opinion, “The Show Must Go On” is one of the most powerful songs of all time. To know that the end of your life is approaching, and to deal with it in such power, is simply incredible. The song was mainly written by Brian May, who was afraid Freddie Mercury couldn’t sing the demanding song because of his weakened state. Mercury reportedly downed a drink and said ‘I’ll f*cking do it, darling’. And he did it, arguably delivering his finest vocal performance of all time.

2. Innuendo

Often hailed as the ‘alternative’ or ‘unknown’ “Bohemian Rhapsody, “Innuendo” deserves far more credit than it receives. I believe the song ranks among the very best Queen songs ever released. “Innuendo” begins as a hard-rock song, followed by a Flamengo section, an operatic sequence, to return to a hard-rock song again. The iconic Flamengo solo is played by Yes guitarist Steven Howe. Howe’s appearance on the track is unique, as he is the only non-Queen member to ever play guitar on a Queen studio recording.

“Innuendo” would easily rank number 1 on any list, but this list also has that other song…

1. Bohemian Rhapsody

Of course, “Bohemian Rhapsody” ranks number 1 on my list of greatest Queen songs. Many do not only consider it the greatest Queen song, but also the greatest song of all time. The structure of the song is simply ridiculous, starting as a piano ballad, before jumping into the operatic sequence, a hard-rock section, and ending with a coda.

“I always wanted to do something operatic,” Mercury commented on the song in 1976. “I wanted something with a mood setter at the start, going into a rock type of thing which completely breaks off into an opera section, a vicious twist and then returns to the theme. I don’t really know anything about opera myself.”

The meaning of the song is ambiguous, as Freddie Mercury has always remained quiet about the song’s lyrical content. “I think people should just listen to it, think about it, and then make up their own minds as to what it says to them,” Mercury later said. The other members have also remained quiet about the lyrical content, although May believed the song was ‘very personal for Freddie’.

So, that is my list of the 10 greatest Queen songs. I undoubtedly forgot to mention songs that could’ve easily ranked on this list, like “Radio Ga Ga”, “Another One Bites the Dust”, “I Want to Break Free” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, among others.

This list is subjective, and merely appreciates the greatness of the band Queen. Therefore, I would love to hear about your favorite Queen songs. What would you change about my list? And what would your personal top 10 look like? Please let me know in the comments below!